Drawing and Visualisation Research

Published in TRACEY | journal

Drawing Knowledge

August 2013

www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/

sota/tracey/

tracey@lboro.ac.uk

Special Edition developed from

selected papers at the

2012 DRN conference

at Loughborough University

South Africa’s educational landscape is scarred with economic and

educational inequalities. South African tertiary education today has to

deal with a variety of challenges including the lack of funding, both on

the student’s side and on the side of the institution. The most

prominent challenge relevant to our research is the extensive lack of

skills and knowledge of students when coming from secondary school

where they are rarely exposed to cognitive skills. We present a case

study of a drawing and animation project that aimed to facilitate this.

We argue that through the integration of art theory and drawing

practice, students came to understand not only how to detect critical

thinking by other artists, but how to implement concepts, metaphors, or

symbols in their own work. Through this project we explored drawing

• as a bridge to close the gap between theory and practice,

• as a tool for creative and critical thinking, and

• as a means to introduce technology on a basic (low-cost) level.

We found that our integrated approach narrowed the theory/practice

gap and enhanced creative and critical thinking, resulting in student

work of greater conceptual quality.

MIND THE GAP: DRAWING

THEORY AND PRACTICE

TOGETHER

John Roome & Nirmi Ziegler a

a Durban University of Technology

johnr@dut.ac.za nirmiz@dut.ac.za

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INTRODUCTION

The idea for this paper came out of a collaborative project run by two lecturers in the Fine

art department at DUT. We both teach the same group of second year students. I teach

drawing and Nirmi teaches art theory. In an attempt to break down a perceived divide

between our two subjects we coordinated our efforts.

To distinguish between our two voices we use different fonts:

John: Franklin Gothic

Nirmi: Candara

Understanding the South African context is vitally important. We introduce the issues

currently affecting education in our country. South Africa is a postcolonial

country which displays all known symptoms of poverty, severe

crime, corruption, extended cultural diversity, and language

multiplicity. In addition, we are a young democracy, a country

that comes out of a prolonged period of suppression and

domination of the majority. This transformation from a racist

society into a democratic one has been a slow and arduous one.

Our extreme diversity in a cultural, religious and social

context earned us the name ‘Rainbow Nation’, a challenge which

asks for multifaceted attempts to ease tensions, inequity,

inequality and discrimination. Issues that negatively affect the

majority of students include the paralysing effects of poverty,

a society in crisis, and an educational system that is largely

disfunctional. Poor matric1 standards and the overall poor

situation of secondary education shifts the burden of ‘catching

up’ and delivering a proper education to the universities

(Parker 2012; Murray 2010; Davids 2010; Dugmore 2012; Pooe

2012;). Language constitutes an essential tool for learning, but

1 Matriculation (matric) refers to the final year of high school and the qualification received on graduating

from high school (Matriculation in South Africa,2012) .

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because of its postcolonial history, the language of instruction

is not the mother tongue of the majority of learners. And as

non-indigenous languages are associated with an oppressed past,

the issue is complex, politicized and problematic (Msila 2007;

Seligmann 2011; Plessis 2005; Visser 2004;).

South African students are in general underprepared for tertiary

education. They lack basic general knowledge, numeracy, critical

skills and the necessary standard in the language of

instruction. In order to correct and counteract this, and to

prepare students for the 1st year level, most universities have

put one year of so-called ‘bridging courses’ or ‘foundation

courses’ in place. In our faculty the course unfortunately fails

to address critical thinking, numeracy and writing.

According to Levy, the lack of money is the largest single

problem for our higher education. At the same time higher

education is the single largest inhibitor of reform programmes

(1999). Public funding has decreased between 1986 and 2006 for

higher education from 0.86% to only 0.66% of GDP (De Villiers,

Steyn 2007). As the majority of our students come from a

disadvantaged background, they need funding. 50% of the income

of our university comes from the state and 36% from tuition fees

(DUT annual report 2010). For many students fees become a

stumbling block. The unrest through student strikes, which often

become violent, are about fees and accommodation (Cops put DUT

under surveillance 2010). Financial constraints have resulted in

a low budget allocation for our department which does not allow

for new equipment. Staffing has also been affected. The number

of lecturers has steadily decreased to less than half in the

last ten years while student numbers have remained constant.

The only thing that is not under-resourced is creativity.

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The majority of our students arrive with only basic English

language skills, and no culture of reading and self-study. Many

of them are first generation tertiary students. This means that

these qualities were not nourished at home. The general struggle

with language, cognitive skills and the generating of one’s own

ideas leads to a tendency to concentrate on techniques and

practice as this is more rewarding. Students prefer practical

subjects that avoid written assessments, the construction of

arguments (in writing or in a debate) or other critical thinking

skills. So the gap between theory and practice keeps widening.

One of the aims of our intervention was to counteract this

tendency. It is also of great concern in our current re-

curriculation process.

Contemporary art has moved away from a representational and

aesthetic focus towards a conceptual one. This is a new

territory for most of our students, who often are not even

familiar with the technical side of producing art, or with the

notion of ‘contemporary art’, as they never took art as a school

subject. Most of our students therefore have a limited idea of

what to expect from studying fine art. The perception of

creating decorative and useful objects dominates. Fine art as a

concept developed in the Western world is foreign to the Zulu

culture, which has a rich tradition in craft. These products are

useful and decorative and mostly embedded in a ritual context.

The encounter with a conceptual approach is therefore not an

easy one.

THE THEORY/PRACTICE GAP

The integration of theory and practice is an issue in various

disciplines and has its roots probably in the invention of the

university itself, originally the place to discover and

understand the ‘theory’ behind (natural) phenomena. Today this

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is called ‘research’. With rapidly growing technology, the

demands on human resources have increased. We need to think on

our toes, and solve complex problems that didn’t exist before.

The crucial skill today is to find, understand and evaluate

relevant information for one’s purpose. The values that stand

out are those of information literacy, critical thinking,

problem solving, reflection and cognitive skills. These skills

are rooted in the ability to analyse, systemize and evaluate

data, in other words, complex thought.

Theory driven university degrees are currently criticized for

their lack of practical application, yet practice based courses,

especially in art and design, have in turn, changed their

curriculum towards a more theory oriented, cognitive approach.

In fine art, the shift towards theory happened in the art

production itself2, and through educational reform

3 during the

1960’s (Candlin 2001)4. The trend deepened with postmodernism,

which picked up on these beginnings and today contemporary art

is deeply engaged within a conceptual mode (Stezaker 1997).

Because of this radical shift away from focusing on teaching

technical skills and the turn towards theory, art production was

now imbedded 1.) within a critical discourse that creates a

dialogue and 2.) within the grand narrative of its time and

context. Yet this shift has been problematic for a variety of

reasons.

The difficulty of integrating theory and practice raises various

questions: why is it so difficult to integrate the two or even,

2 the most prominent movement being ‘conceptual art’

3 The National Advisory Council on Art Education (1960), better known as The Coldstream Report (in Great

Britain)

4 South Africa had a time delay in this regard, and still tends to favour non-conceptual art. A correlation is

possible.

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why are the two separated in the first place? It also demands

an answer to the question: what is it that we need to

integrate, or, what do we hope to achieve through integration?

Theory and practice are separated in our educational system, but

in reality they are deeply interwoven. ‘Man cannot be in any

kind of practical relationship towards the world, not even on a

very primary and simple level, without some kind of ‘theory’,

without certain purposes, attitudes, concepts, ideas’ says

Vranicki. He concludes ‘ … to separate them would be to allow

the possibility of a kind of practice which did not include

consciousness, hypotheses and theory: as if theory were possible

which did not involve the total experience of man’s sensuous

activity…Practice of this kind would be animal practice, and

such a theory would be nonsense’ (1965).

Then, why did we end up separating the two? The reason lies in

their different functions within the process of ‘problem

solving’, - practical as opposed to factual. But it is the

thinking that leads the way to the solution, not the doing. This

separation of thinking and doing causes the problem. By

separating the two, we are tempted to see them as not related,

which is a fallacy. According to the philosopher Immanuel Kant

theory deals with the principle, the rule that represents its

universality (Allgemeinheit). This involves a process of

abstraction from various conditions that influence the situation

at any given time (practice). It is essential to extract a

theory, because it constitutes the key to solving new problems

(1977). At high school our students are not asked to apply

theory to solve problems.They are trained to memorize and to

learn by rote. But Kant makes it clear that ‘No-one can pretend

to be practically versed in a branch of knowledge and yet treat

theory with scorn, without exposing the fact that he is an

ignoramus in his subject’ (1977).

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In order to solve new problems, one needs to know the theory and

how to apply it to a given practical situation. In order to do

so, Immanuel Kant suggests an element of connection between the

two (Mittelglied der Verknüpfung und des Übergangs) that of

judgement, in order to transfer the theoretical principle to the

practical situation (or problem) we want to solve. Rachels

concludes: “This implies that those who lack judgement might be

helpless” (2001). And this helplessness is what we observe and

witness when teaching our students. They engage in ‘theory’, but

are not able to apply or connect judgement to their practical

subject in the studio. This inability explains why integration

in education is so problematic; numerous research papers bear

testimony to this. The tale reads almost like a mantra: students

know the theory, but they struggle to implement it once they are

confronted with the practice of their profession (Waghorn,

Stevens 1996).

How do we assist with the process of critically reviewing what

was learned in theory and applying such knowledge to the

practice? Or, as Kant would put it: judging (Urteilskraft) a

practical problem through the light of theory in order to find

solutions and/or a new approach. One of the main barriers lies

in the different structure of theory and practice. Art history

for example is organized chronologically, whilst studio based

practice is arranged along techniques and topics. This forces an

asynchronous delivery of often related contents. Students often

fail to make the connections.

Artists are visual people. According to Howard Gardner, they

fall under the ‘spatial intelligence’ category , but are not

necessarily talented in ‘linguistic intelligence’, the gift for

language and words. Surely, if tested, all individuals show

abilities in more than one ’intelligence’ (as there are nine),

though due to education, support and encouragement, we end up

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specializing and concentrating on particular trades.

Contemporary art clearly favours individuals who are strong in

both spatial and linguistic intelligence, and who then, in

addition can bring in other intelligences to refine their art.5

But if the talent or skill for language and words is lacking,

such a person would struggle to succeed in a contemporary art

school.

ADDRESSING THE GAP THROUGH DRAWING

In order to address these challenges we designed an intervention that combined theory

and practice. A drawing project that investigated movement and animation was introduced

during art theory periods and was linked to art historical precedents and art theoretical

concepts. We both participated in the introduction to the project as well as the final critique

of the work. Our project was an attempt to make students aware of what artist/researcher

Barbara Bolt refers to as the ’double articulation of theory and practice whereby theory

emerges from a reflexive practice, and practice is informed by theory’ (2005:4). By

combining drawing and art theory into one collaborative project we hoped to make this

‘double articulation’ evident to students.

In our experiment we coordinated the art history of ‘movement in

modern art’ with the drawing module, which aimed to produce

drawings that expressed ‘movement’.6 We also re-introduced the

notion of a ‘concept’ in art, but this time in art theory , by

showing art examples and discussing them, making it clear that

the focus was on a practical outcome. We expected the students

to come up with, implement and explain their own ‘concept’ in

the artwork they were going to produce in the studio. The next

step was then to ‘detect’ concepts in existing artworks of

5 An artist with musical or bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence would probably chose performance art or

installation, whereas an artist with existential intelligence would have a more philosophical approach.

6 The duration of the drawing module was one week with 2 x 3 hours of art theory during that week.

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modernism within the theme, and identify metaphors and symbols,

in other words, interpretation, an activity associated with art

historians. But here the purpose was different: it was a means

to train the budding artists to understand these principles in

order to create meaning in their own artworks.

This shift towards integration was also reflected in the theory

assignment. We focussed on the discussion of the concept,

metaphors and symbols not only of an existing modernist work,

but also (by comparison) of the student’s work inspired by

modernism. The aim was to emphasize that the ‘only difference’

between theory and practice was the ‘direction ‘in which the

SAME task was executed: In art theory we investigated a finished

artwork and detected how the artist had applied meaning to it

and what that meaning was. In the studio practice the student

tried to create an artwork by finding out what meaning could be

applied.

In our department students have tended not to engage with drawing in a conceptual way. A

solution to this deficiency presented itself to me serendipitously as a result of an

intervention I tried three years ago with a particularly unmotivated group. Inspired by my

own experience, I introduced them to animation. Using traditional drawing combined with

basic computer software, the students produced short, stop-frame animated films. This

project brought about a change in attitude and approach. There was a sense of excitement

and total engagement in the studio. Drawing was seen as a means to an end. The ‘safe’

and representational approach to drawing was replaced by a more experimental and

investigative one.

Students were encouraged to explore available technology as a creative tool. The technique

of stop-frame animation using digital cameras or cell phones to record the stages of their

drawings was introduced. Students were shown how to use Microsoft Paint and Windows

Moviemaker as editing tools. This meant that they could work in the open access

computer lab or on their laptop or home computer (if they had one). The animation project

served as an introduction to the potential of digital technology. Through spontaneous

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sharing and teamwork, students began to understand and exploit this potential. The limited

resources meant that students had to be innovative and experimental in the way they

incorporated technology. Most students preferred to work with traditional drawing media

rather than computer drawing software. By recording their drawings digitally students were

able to reflect on the process of developing a concept through drawing. The final editing

and production of the videos required teamwork and skill sharing. Adding sound to their

videos was an option that provided scope for further creativity.

FIGURE 1 KOKETSO LETLAPE, 2012. DRAWING FOR ANIMATION.

FIGURE 2 KOKETSO LETLAPE, 2012. DRAWING FOR ANIMATION.

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FIGURE 3 STUDENTS EDITING ANIMATION VIDEOS.

FIGURE 4 CELL PHONE USED FOR STOP FRAME ANIMATION.

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FIGURE 5 A SELECTION OF STUDENT ANIMATIONS, 2012. VIDEO, 3 MINUTES 21 SECONDS.

To reinforce the idea that drawing can act as medium to integrate theory and practice, the

project was presented as a joint assignment with art theory. Results indicate that the

exposure to art historical precedents and complex concepts led to drawings that were

technically and conceptually more adventurous, and the perceived gap between theory and

practice was narrowed.

FIGURE 6 JESSICA BOTHMA, 2012. INDUSTRIAL BALLOONS, INSTALLATION WITH BALLOONS, HELIUM, STENCILS, SPRAY

PAINT, DIMENSIONS VARIABLE.

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FIGURE 7 ZINHLE KHUMALO, 2012. MOVEMENT INSTALLATION, FOUND OBJECT, THREAD AND CHARCOAL DRAWINGS ON

PAPER, DIMENSIONS VARIABLE.

FIGURE 8 KIMERA APPALSAMY, 2012. IT’S A DOG’S WORLD, INSTALLATION WITH INK DRAWINGS ON PAPER,

DIMENSIONS VARIABLE.

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Students keep a cognitive–reflective journal for every module where they relate

information, ideas and concepts gained through theoretical research directly to their

practice. In addition the journal encourages daily writing, which assists with the

development of writing skills -a challenge many students face. Journal entries show that

the student response to integration was positive. In many cases concepts and examples

discussed during art theory provided inspiration for students to develop their own concepts

through drawing.

The students were introduced to examples of Futurist art. Siyanda Xaba found their

depiction of movement to be ‘what one would expect under the subject of movement’.

I came up with an idea of doing a series of drawings using facial expression and I

even told John that I could focus on that. It wasn’t much of a strong concept. It was

more of illustration, as I told John, I saw it in his eyes that he wasn’t that satisfied,

so I got worried and started to try to think of another solution (Xaba 2012).

His inspiration came from a Bill Viola video shown to the students during art theory.

My idea was to move away from the ordinary classical movement e.g. moving by

walking from one point to another, but my idea is about movement in terms of

EMOTIONS. I used the topic in order to find my concept behind it which is searching

for IDENTITY. That was my idea and the only thing that made me to get ...closer to

my concept was the movie that Nirmi played, which was about 5 people showing

movement of facial expression as well as slow, gradual movement of body (Xaba

2012).

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FIGURE 9 SIYANDA XABA, 2012. SELF PORTRAIT, CHARCOAL ON PAPER, 594 X 420 MM.

Sibonelo Ndwalane integrated ideas taken from the life drawing class with ideas from art

theory.

I’ ve started my drawing which should depict movement. I’ve decided to use what I

learned in figure drawing depicting movement, and also I have looked at Muybridge

and Duchamp’s works and sort of combined the two into one piece.

I am using Duchamp’s drawing depicting movement with a horse and a man riding

and Muybridge’s man climbing steps. I think the combination of charcoal and oil

pastels should work (Ndwalane 2012).

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FIGURE 10 BONGANI KHANYILE, 2012. LIFE DRAWING, CHARCOAL ON PAPER, 594 X 420 MM.

FIGURE 11 SIBONELO NDWALANE, 2012. BURDEN, PASTEL ON PAPER, 300 X 650 MM.

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Students were asked to develop their own concepts related to movement and animation.

Koketso Letlape’s concept evolved out of a series of doodles done in response to ideas

presented during art theory lectures.

More doodles done during art theory. I’m really keen to experiment with the

pendulum. The lines of the pendulum shifting (or the after shadow) must be as light

as possible. So the main event will happen in the middle. This is as much

mathematical as it is art. I want to show the mechanics of time as much as I want to

show the movement of time within the pendulum shift (Letlape 2012).

He linked the seven stages of his pendulum movement to the seven deadly sins, and

further linked these to animal symbols.

In my work the pendulum will explain or give the impression of a movement in time

and situation or character. Characteristics I myself show during my lifetime as a

human. With the seven pendulum balls or circles a characteristic will be shown….(

Letlape 2012).

FIGURE 12 KOKETSO LETLAPE, 2012. JOURNAL ENTRY, 297 X 210 MM.

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FIGURE 13 KOKETSO LETLAPE, 2012. SEVEN DEADLY SINS, CHARCOAL AND PASTEL ON PAPER, 594 X 841 MM.

In both art theory and drawing students were encouraged to think critically. Siyanda Xaba

reflected on how to improve his work:

Look and think cognitively, don’t go for the obvious.

To obtain brilliant ideas question myself about my ideas, whether they work and

how to make them better. Don’t look for a solution, but rather question and try to

solve things and break them to simplicity (Xaba 2012).

In art theory we presented and discussed new material such as the Enlightenment and

Descartes. These ideas challenged students from religious and conservative backgrounds.

Siyanda Xaba acknowledges this challenge.

My work is about existence and it questions existence in some way. In the world

that we live in there are many influences and things that make us reason and when

we reason we sort of become confused of where we belong or what to follow.

So basically all of these confusions are all unclear and makes a person like me to

not know where I stand in life ‘existence’. So in my art I try to show that

‘unclearness’ through my movement drawings. What I did was I made drawings

showing a blurred effect which clarifies confusion and unclearness and that was the

kind of effect I intended to capture (Xaba 2012).

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Many of our students were not familiar with the concept of metaphor. In art theory they

learned to look for visual metaphors in the works of other artists. Nosipho Myeza was

finding her feet through metaphor.

My concept was inspired by the fact that everyone’s life seems to be logical and

rational and controlled by systems and laws to such an extent that they cannot

identify or find their true selves or true sense of identity, which of course can also

make them forget what it feels like to be experimental.

Execution of my conceptual idea:

For my concept I will document a movement of feet that find their way into shoes of

different pairs to express my way of defying what is considered to be normal or

rather breaking out of the laws and systems that govern our life.

Symbolic Representation

The feet are a metaphor for a person that finds his/her own feet, which in this case

is being experimental.

The two different shoes – represent being experimental, spontaneous and breaking

out from the comfortable way of living which is guided by laws and systems (Myeza

2012)

FIGURE 14 NOSIPHO MYEZA, 2012. JOURNAL ENTRY, 297 X 210 MM.

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FIGURE 15 NOSIPHO MYEZA, 2012. DRAWING FOR ANIMATION.

FIGURE 16 NOSIPHO MYEZA, 2012. HAPPY FEET, CHARCOAL AND PASTEL ON PAPER, 594 X 420 MM.

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Sibonelo Ndwalane made drawings of himself carrying a bag around signifying the high

expectations placed on him. He wanted to express the challenges he experienced as a first

generation tertiary student in his family.

I am using the baggage/bags as my metaphorical object which is intended to signify

a feeling of having a burden (Ndwalane 2012).

FIGURE 17 SIBONELO NDWALANE, 2012. JOURNAL ENTRY, 297 X 210 MM.

FIGURE 18 SIBONELO NDWALANE, 2012. DRAWING FOR ANIMATION.

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Many students drew on their own life experiences, confronting issues of identity and

personal development. Others expressed ideas that indicated a concern for broad social

issues that affected their lives. Siyanda Xaba’s drawings and animation are an expression

of his personal quest for a sense of who he is.

My concept is searching for identity through emotional movement in terms of facial

expression. I wanted the viewer to see me as a person moving from a certain stage

to another through facial expression, e.g. starting from a happy or should I say a

normal depiction of myself, to a very confused and lost person.

I try to achieve my soul searching identity by starting showing me as a happy person

and as it moves on I begin to change mood and become a different person as it

continues until it reaches the point where I become a confused person who doesn’t

know himself (Xaba 2012).

FIGURE 19 SIYANDA XABA, 2012. SELF PORTRAIT, CHARCOAL AND PASTEL ON PAPER, 594 X 420 MM.

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Similarly Bongani Khanyile wanted to depict a sense of hope and the development of an

individual identity.

My idea is to depict different scenes of my timeline life. I am going to begin my

animation from nothing to something visible and take into action with movement a

life observation, trying to remember a certain age frame and to show movement in

the actions of motion that came toward me and that I approached and how did they

effect or had an impact on my life (Khanyile 2012).

FIGURE 20 BONGANI KHANYILE, 2012. THROWN AND TURNING LIFE, CHARCOAL AND PASTEL ON PAPER, 841 X 594 MM.

Nhlakanipho Ndimande’s city drawings express his concerns about the challenges facing

his generation.

In the city that I live in life is very tough, it is in a fast lane… Considering the events

that take place now and then, the ongoing circle of crime rate, the abusive usage of

drugs which lead to brothers and sisters to kill each other…Drugs are destroying the

youth every day, their future, they are driven by the longing to belong and

understand who they are (Ndimande 2012).

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FIGURE 21 NHLAKANIPHO NDIMANDE, 2012. RUSHING WHERE? PASTEL ON PAPER, 841 X 594 MM.

One of the aims of our intervention was to make students aware of the value of research

both in a theoretical and in a practical context. Students clearly began to value research as

a tool for helping them develop creative ideas. Siyanda Xaba wrote:

Research is important and serves as a foundation for work and I’ve realised this

through searching information myself and thinking cognitively. At times Ideas or

Concepts don’t appear imminently (immediately), they take a process of research

and questioning as well as thinking cognitively (Xaba 2012).

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The movement and animation projects were aimed at getting the students to view drawing

as a process through which concepts can be developed and expressed. Bongani Khanyile

found the drawings of Clara Liev who uses a technique of blurring or agitating the edges of

her figures to suggest movement. He experimented with this technique and used it to

develop his concept of movement. His comment indicates that he worked instinctively,

responding to his medium.

I was still working on this piece, I am wondering how it is going to look like in the

end. I don’t want to know. All I’m interested in is to experiment more with my

medium (Khanyile 2012).

FIGURE 22 BONGANI KHANYILE, 2012. JOURNAL ENTRY, 297 X 420 MM.

Siyanda Xaba reflected on his own process of drawing:

When I was drawing there was one thing that kept on ringing in my mind and that

was: every mark that I make was a history. This idea made me to not have the

perception of making a perfect drawing without mistakes but I let the hand flow,

creating lines that ended up shaping my work (Xaba 2012).

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Students were encouraged to develop an innovative attitude. They were dropped in the

deep end and had to find solutions to a variety of conceptual and practical problems.

Limited resources led to the need to ‘make a plan’ and they coped well. Jabulani Mbili

reflected on his struggle with equipment and technology.

In this module as I started I had a challenge of getting the equipment which I

needed to use which is a camera and a tripod but I made a plan…As I was starting

to draw with charcoal on paper I did not have any knowledge on how I would make

my drawings work as animation. But when I started taking pictures it became easy

for me to progress with my animation and I had a clear vision of how it would be at

the end. Which gave me more ideas and how to do other complex drawings in order

to improve my animation (Mbili 2012).

Student response indicates that there was a sense of enjoyment, achievement and pride at

the end of the project.

Nhlakanipho Ndimande:

I enjoyed doing animation, and I was pleased by the outcome of my work, because

at first I couldn’t understand what I was doing and I wasn’t sure of how to do it, but

not until I relaxed and let my hand flow onto paper freely (2012).

Jabulani Mbili:

This was a successful module which was challenging in approach and ideas it was a

learning experience as I learned how to make animation and challenges which

came with animation… (2012).

Siyanda Xaba:

I am proud of what I’ve achieved personally. I know that I worked hard because I did

over a thousand drawings if I am not mistaken, in a space of just three days and I

think that is an achievement in itself (2012).

The student responses indicate that their creative and critical thinking skills were

stimulated and enhanced. In addition there was evidence of a deeper understanding of

the nature of drawing itself and the skills required to execute it. Howard Risatti, in a Theory

of Craft, points out the difference between the knowledge and skills required for craft and

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fine art. He explains that the aim of figure drawing is not so much to master a technique

but to see and understand the figure as a form in space so that it can be conceptualised as

a two-dimensional or three-dimensional sign. The

conceptualising nature of drawing means that the

knowledge gained through drawing can be applied to

almost any other medium (2007).

There is some debate as to whether or not the act of

drawing is a form of thinking. Artist Joel Fisher’s paper

Notes Towards a Prepositional Drawing given at the

Drawing Research Network Conference, London, 8

October 2009, addresses the relationship between drawing

and thinking. He concludes that drawing is related to, but differs

from thinking.

Drawing is like thinking, but not what we might call a ‘mode of thought.’ It is too

multifaceted to be proposed as a single system or lens able to give us a specific

understanding of the world (Fisher 2009).

Patricia Cain in Drawing: The enactive evolution of the practitioner explains why she chose

to focus on the activity of drawing for her research. The immediacy of the activity lends

itself to the direct and unencumbered expression of visual ideas. There are no complicated

technical intermediaries that stand between the artist and what he/she wants to express.

She notes that drawings provide a unique form of access to the thoughts of the artist and

that the activity of drawing has been defined as a ‘cognitive tool to facilitate and assimilate

information’ (2010: 28).

To engage students in the quest to find a concept for their new

project, is probably the main focus in the studio, alongside the

technical realization of the work. The process demands a

critical view into one’s subjective world in relation to the

objective, outside world. This is where art theory can assist,

as it trains information literacy to help gather ideas, as well

as the cognitive skills required for the task.

Creativity

y Problem

solving

Critical

thinking

Drawing

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Drawing, as well as other forms of visual expression, provides a means of generating

knowledge that differs from language-based knowledge generation. Author of Art Practice

as Research, Graeme Sullivan refers to this as ‘thinking through a medium’ (2010).

Thinking through the medium of drawing is a different form of cognitive process to what is

normally considered as thinking in academia. Academic thinking requires competence in

language, more particularly academic language. Linear, logical, language-based thinking is

often of less use when drawing than instinctive, innovative and ‘creative’ decision-making.

Our assumption was that a more critical engagement with art theory would impact

positively on studio practice. Conversely a more critically reflective approach to practice

would lead to a better understanding of theoretical concepts. Students have begun to

engage with concepts in art theory and develop concepts through drawing, bringing about a

deeper and more critical understanding of the ‘concept in art’.

Through our collaboration we emphasised the educational and creative potential of new

technology. Many of our students have little or no computer literacy when they come to us.

In art theory the use of e-learning has made technology an integral

part of the syllabus and gives students the tools they need to

succeed in the working environment of the 21st century. The 24/7

accessible learning material and instructions of the classroom

assist the student centred learning approach. Even though the majority

of our students do not own laptops, the majority do have digital devices such as

smartphones, i-pods, and digital cameras. One of the reasons for the popularity of the

drawing and animation project was the link to new technology, which students considered

‘cool’.

CONCLUSION

Our collaborative teaching experiment was a response to the perceived gap between art

theory and practice in a South African tertiary art school context. We looked at various

factors that brought about this perception and presented a possible solution through a

drawing and animation project. Our hypothesis was that drawing could become a means to

close the theory/practice gap. We found that despite our demanding expectations students

were comfortable with the integrated approach. The integration made sense to them,

therefore the response was positive, leading to a more critically and conceptually aware

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approach to drawing. The attitude to both subjects changed beneficially. Student feedback

supports the following findings:

Ideas and concepts presented in art theory were integrated into drawing.

Critical thinking was evident in both art theory and drawing.

Students began to think through the medium of drawing.

Students began to use metaphor as a means of expressing concepts in their

own drawings.

Personal and social concerns were linked to concepts developed through

drawing.

There was evidence of an innovative approach to drawing.

By emphasising its conceptual and cognitive aspects, drawing became an effective means

of bridging the preceived gap between theory and practice. Concepts dealt with in art

theory were explored through drawing and then developed in the other practical disciplines.

Thus we encouraged students to develop visual thinking skills through drawing as a means

of generating and expressing concepts in relation to both theory and practice. The

improved standard of drawings, together with the generally positive feedback, indicates

that we were successful in our aim.

This project marks the beginning. There is scope for further development. Potential spinoffs

include the integration of all subjects offered. Our aim is to bring all the practical subjects

closer together conceptually by structuring a fully integrated course.

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